Structural Family Therapy
A family-centered approach that reshapes roles and boundaries to reduce conflict, strengthen bonds, and build lasting harmony at home.

Introduction


The Basics

What is Structural Family Therapy?

Have you ever wondered how to take therapy to the “next level?” For some, the answer lies “all in the family.” Nobody lives in a vacuum, but one-to-one therapy sessions are often limited, with access to only one perspective or story. By exploring the context more broadly (including the roles, rules, and interactions in a family system), structural family therapists support people looking to “level up” from one generation to the next.

Structural Family Therapy (SFT), a subset of general family therapy, focuses on understanding and treating behavioral problems within the context of a family unit, focusing on interactions between family members. It is sometimes called “structural therapy.” With SFT, a therapist may emphasize the central role and structure of the family, observe family interactions as a window to an individual’s behaviors, and encourage enactment and “action” techniques as key to making positive changes.

Goal

What is the goal of Structural Family Therapy?

A primary goal of Structural Family Therapy (SFT) is understanding how members of a family interact, and how those interactions may impact boundaries, coalitions, cohesion, communication, conflict resolution, behaviors, problem solving, and other important themes.

SFT may help identify certain family interactions that unnecessarily encourage problematic behaviors, and work to find solutions within the family system that promote more helpful behaviors over time.

Uses

Who could benefit from Structural Family Therapy?

People may seek Structural Family Therapy (SFT) when experiencing a major change that impacts the family, such as:

  • Birth or adoption of a child
  • Divorce or separation
  • A new relationship or marriage
  • Incarceration of a family member
  • Military deployment
  • Natural disaster
  • Loss or grief
  • Other significant life events

SFT may also be helpful when individual symptoms or behaviors become concerning, including:

  • Angry outbursts
  • Disordered eating
  • Domestic violence
  • Parental conflict
  • Substance use
  • Trouble in school
  • Other mental health or behavioral concerns

In general, anyone affected by the behaviors of family members or those in close proximity may benefit from SFT.

Subtypes

Are there any subtypes of Structural Family Therapy?

Structural Family Therapy (SFT) doesn’t have formal, universally recognized “subtypes,” but it has inspired several variations and integrations, including:

  • Integrated models
    • Structural–Strategic Family Therapy: Combines Minuchin’s focus on family organization with Strategic Family Therapy’s planned interventions and paradoxical techniques.
    • Structural–Experiential approaches: Merge hierarchy work with Carl Whitaker’s emphasis on emotional expression.
    • Functional Family Therapy (FFT): Uses structural mapping to support behavior change.
  • Culturally adapted models
    • Brief Strategic Family Therapy: Applies structural principles while honoring extended family roles and cultural values.
    • Familias Unidas: Designed for immigrant and collectivist communities, adapting SFT concepts to cultural and situational needs.

Across these adaptations, the core SFT concepts remain intact, but their application shifts to fit diverse families and contexts.

Effectiveness


Origins

Who developed Structural Family Therapy and when?

Structural Family Therapy (SFT) was developed by psychiatrist Salvador Minuchin and colleagues in the 1960s. While working with children and teens, Minuchin observed that treating children individually often failed to resolve the underlying issues. He found that many problems stemmed from family systems being out of balance, rather than from the child alone.

Minuchin’s research emphasized how unclear rules, roles, and boundaries within families contributed to conflict and dysfunction. To address this, he began shaping a therapeutic approach that focused on restructuring family organization and interactions.

By the late 1960s, these ideas had coalesced into Structural Family Therapy, a model centered on re-examining family rules and roles and implementing changes to restore balance, reduce conflict, and support healthier functioning

Evidence Base

Is Structural Family Therapy evidence-based?

Structural Family Therapy (SFT) is an evidence-based therapy. Since the early 1960s, it has become a well-known and widely utilized counseling theory. Research has shown that SFT can positively impact both teens and adults by decreasing internal and behavioral symptoms, increasing family cohesion, improving parenting practices, and strengthening confidence.

Like any therapeutic model, SFT has its limitations. One concern is its sometimes disproportionate focus on desired behaviors—for example, aiming to shift helping behaviors so a teen might improve their grades, when other emotional or relational issues may be equally important to address in therapy. Another limitation is that SFT is largely oriented toward the traditional nuclear family, which can overlook the realities of modern family structures. This narrower lens may miss important influences such as:

  • Extended family dynamics
  • Cultural context
  • Generational impacts on individual family members

Despite these limitations, SFT remains a valuable and effective approach for many families seeking greater balance and connection.

How It Works


Techniques Used

How does Structural Family Therapy work?

Structural Family Therapy (SFT) begins with collaboratively mapping the family system to better understand its hierarchies, roles, rules, and subsystems. This process allows the therapist to identify patterns and help individuals or families navigate problematic behaviors together.

Therapists practicing SFT operate under several key assumptions:

  • Individual symptoms often arise from imbalances in the family system
  • Subsystems exist in which people hold different amounts of power
  • Unhealthy boundaries can restrict connection and growth
  • All families seek balance
  • Families are capable of growth and can solve many of their own problems

By working with these guiding principles, SFT empowers families to reorganize their structure in ways that support healthier functioning and stronger relationships.

What to Expect in a Session

What can I expect from a Structural Family Therapy session?

After initial assessments and goal-setting, a Structural Family Therapy (SFT) therapist may work with an individual or the entire family to create a structural family “map.” This map is often a visual representation that includes ages, genders, roles, relationships, power hierarchies, strengths, and other themes.

The structural family “map” may also highlight important subsystems, such as:

  • Parental or caregiver subsystem
  • Spousal or partner subsystem
  • Sibling or stepsibling subsystem

Throughout the process, the therapist explores how family rules, patterns, power dynamics, coalitions, and challenges affect functioning.

They may use a range of SFT interventions, such as:

  • Joining
  • Enacting
  • Reframing
  • Unbalancing
  • Communication practice
  • Skills building, to encourage insight and change.

When multiple family members are present, the therapist’s role is to create a collaborative, safe, and therapeutic environment where positive shifts in relationships and structure can take place.

Treatment Length & Structure

How long does Structural Family Therapy take?

While some families may notice positive changes after just a few sessions, the benefits of Structural Family Therapy (SFT) generally increase after 15–20 sessions. The structure of each session can vary, but many therapists begin by:

  • Getting to know the family
  • Collaboratively mapping family structure, rules, boundaries, and roles
  • Identifying both problematic patterns and existing strengths
  • Encouraging specific “actions” and desired changes

Although SFT emphasizes the family system, it does not always require every family member to be present. In fact, it can be both possible and effective to apply the structural family therapy model when working with an individual client.

Getting Care


Finding a Therapist

How do I find a therapist trained in Structural Family Therapy?

Alma’s directory has many therapists who are trained in Structural Family Therapy, including:

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